Maternal and paternal infant-directed speech to girls and boys: An exploratory study

ABSTRACT

We compared systematically the structure and the content of maternal and paternal speech to infant boys and girls while we also investigated the effect of infant’s age. Six girls and five boys were observed in the interaction with their mothers and their fathers (dyads came from the same families) at home from the second to the sixth month after birth at 15- day intervals. Detailed analysis of time revealed that fathers favour systematically the temporal structure of their speech to both girls and boys, while mothers favour boys in infant emotion/attention thematic sequences and girls in infant attention speech. Variations are counterbalanced in the way mothers and fathers respond sensitively to known marked changes in infant- parent communication over the first 6 months of life. These results are discussing in relation to the theory of innate intersubjectivity and the complementary company and care both parents give to developing infant girls and boys.     

脑梗塞、脑出血病人外显与内隐记忆的实验研究

采用模糊字辨认、自由回忆和再认的方法分别测试脑梗塞、脑出血病人（实验组）与无脑部病变者（对照组）外显记忆和内隐记忆成绩。结果发现：实验组较对照组外显记忆降低，内隐记忆存在。提出病人其记忆功能呈外显记忆损害，内隐记忆保存的特点。这种记忆功能的双重性为此种病人记忆功能康复训练提供了新的实验证据。     

Cultural evidence for interpretation bias as a feature of social anxiety in Chinese adolescents

Background and Objectives: Interpretation bias (IB), defined as the tendency to interpret ambiguous social situations in a threatening manner, has increasingly been studied in children and adolescents. Compared to Western samples, the relation between IB and social anxiety in Chinese youth has received little attention. The present study was to mainly examine the relationship between IB and social anxiety among Chinese adolescents.

Design: Cross-sectional design was utilized.

Methods: IB, measured by the Adolescents’ Interpretation Bias Questionnaire (AIBQ), and social anxiety were surveyed among a group of high socially anxious Chinese adolescents (n?=?25) and a control group (n?=?29). Participants were asked to rate the likelihood of interpretations coming to mind in social/non-social situations and to choose the most believable interpretation.

Results: The high social anxiety group had more negative interpretations and beliefs in social situations, and the interpretation bias was particular to social anxiety versus depression. Additionally, the cognitive content-specificity hypothesis was supported; the high anxious group showed interpretation bias in social situations, but didn’t have more negative interpretations of non-social situations, after controlling for depression.

Conclusions: The present study yielded comparable findings as found in Western samples regarding the relation between IB and social anxiety.     

Exploration of anomalous perceptual experiences in migraine between attacks using the Cardiff Anomalous Perceptions Scale

Distortions in sensory experiences that precede a migraine attack have been extensively documented, the most well-known being the visual aura. Distortions in the experience of other senses are also reported as part of an aura, albeit less frequently, together with changes in the perception or ownership of the body or body parts. There are many examples of differences in aspects of visual perception between migraine and control groups, between attacks, but not as much on unusual experiences involving other senses, the sense of the body or the experience of the environment. Seventy-seven migraine (33 with aura) and 74 control participants took part. Anomalous perceptions were experienced by both migraine and control groups, but more with migraine experienced them and rated them as more distressing, intrusive and frequent. Associations with reports of visual triggers of migraine and visual discomfort are presented. This study is the first to show relationships between these factors.     

Two Versions of the Conceptual Content of Experience

ABSTRACT

In ‘Avoiding the Myth of the Given’, McDowell revisits the main themes of Mind and World in order to make two important corrections: first, he does not longer believe that the content of perceptual experience is propositional in character; second, he does not believe now that the content of an experience needs to include everything the experience enables us to know non-inferentially. In this article, I take issue with both retractions. My thesis is that McDowell’s first version of perceptual content is preferable to the latest one.     

Stereotype content of refugee subgroups in Germany

Stereotypes of refugee subgroups are still understudied. We contribute to this body of research by investigating differences in stereotype content, meaning warmth and competence ratings, of refugee subgroups in Germany (N = 264). Most extant Stereotype Content Model research is based on observed warmth and competence mean values. We applied latent variable modelling using the alignment optimisation to ensure meaningful and reliable mean value comparisons. Generic refugees were rated as lacking warmth and competence. Warmth assessments of refugee subgroups varied depending on flight motives, geographical origin, and religious affiliation, implying that perceptions of threat and competition differed between these subgroups. Fewer differences emerged in competence assessments, indicating that refugee groups are generally regarded as lacking status. Our results enhance knowledge of the stereotype content of refugee subgroups and make a methodological contribution to stereotype content research.